Pettine has clearly been impressed with Alonso’s play in the spring practices. He had him running with the starting unit for the last three weeks of OTA and minicamp practices in late May and June.

“He’s NFL ready,” said Pettine. “He understands the concepts that we’re playing, they played a lot of them in college. And from a physical standpoint, it’s hard in shorts to get a great feel for it, but he’s off to a good start. It’s a lot to absorb, but we’re pleased with the start he’s had and we have high expectations for him.”

Alonso’s approach has been unaffected by the amount of time he’s received in practices with the starting unit on defense.

“My mentality hasn’t changed,” he said. “I’m here to just compete and give my best every single day and get better every single day.”